Wire stretcher



Feb. 18, 1930. F. M. HOLLINGSWORTH WIRE STRETCHER Filed June 6, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l v & mw P all? Nw i-Ill y I wuzmtoz ,7 Fed M. HaZZznyxwarZh,

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Patented Feb. 18, 1939 FRED M. HOLLINGSWORTH, OF GREENFIELD, CALIFORNIA I WIRE STRETCHEB Application filed June 6, 1927. Serial No. 196,949.

My invention relates to improvements in wire stretchers and splicers, and one object is to produce a device of this character which is light in weight and can therefore be easily carried about when constructing or'repairing fences.

Another object is to provide a device in which broken wires of various lengths may v be quickly and securely spliced without loss of tension, as for instance, when the splice is made by hand.

A further object is to provide a device in which different leverages can be obtained through the intermediary of a sliding memher forming a part of the invention.

In order that the invention may be fully understood reference will now be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device.

Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of the device.

line 44 of Fig. '1.

Fig. 5 is a broken plan view of the device showing how slack is taken up in a fence wire preparatory to securing the latter to a fence post.

Fig. 6 is a broken inverted plan view of the device showing the initial operation for splicing two ends of a broken fence wire.

Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 6 with the device turned a little more than a half revolution to cause the broken ends of the wire to cross each other prepy t l p them together.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 7, exceptingthat the device has been turned a complete revolution to complete the looping of the two broken ends of the wire together. I In carrying out the invention I employ a lever 2 which is slightly bowed upwardly at its ends as shown by Fig. 2, and provided with notches 4 along its oppositely disposed longitudinal margins inorder to receive and hold certain elements of a slidable member 6, which will be explained in detail hereinafter. A longitudinal reinforcing rib 8 is formed on the underside of said lever 2 in order to give the necessary strength and rigidity thereto.

Fig. 4c is a cross section of thedevice on 10 designates a plurality of teeth or fulcrum points projecting from the curved forward end of the lever 2 for successively engaging a fence post such as A, Fig. 5, when a wire B is being stretched preparatory to being secured upon said post. v 7

16 designates two balancing spurs projecting from the central ward end of the lever 2. said spurs 16 are spaced portion of the for- I The points 18 of apart to retain the lever 2 in approximately a horizontal position and prevent lt-from swinglngup or down while in the act of stretching a wire, as

will hereinafter appear.

The rear end of the lever 2 has an eye 20 for the reception of may be tied at one end to said lever and tied at its opposite end a rope, not shown, which to a post or other object for the purpose of leaving both hands of the operator free for stapling a wire to the frence post. i In order that the broken wires of a fence can be readily spliced, I hook-shaped projections which will now be descri provide a series of and other elements bed, and which are formed upon the longitudinal rib 8. 22 desig nates a centrally 'dlsposed stud or Pl'OJQCtlOll for looping the ends of together, said stud havi ness for preventing the too sharply and breakin a broken wire D, ng suficient thickwire from bending The'stud 22 is i tapered towards its free end and rounded off at two corners 23, so that the partially looped ends of the wire D will. slide from said stud 22 and become interlocked as the operator continues to rotate the lever.

24 and 26 designate two hooks projecting laterally from opposite sides'of the rib 8 for use in making sp small amount of slack is to be the broken wire.

28, 32, and 34 designate two pairs of lices where only a taken up in pair of hooks depending from the rib 8 and spaced 2. greaterdistance than'the hook 34 from the stud 22 for use in making'splices where the maximum am be taken up ount of "slack is to v Referring in detail to the slidable member 6, the same consists of a plate having a pro jectinglintermediate portion 36 which forms a broad bearing surface and prevents said plate from tipping upon the lever 2 when a wire -is being stretched preparatory to be ing secured to a fencepost. The member 6 is slidably'held upon the lever 2 by a pair of oppositely-disposed L-shaped elements 38 whicheng'age the under side of said'lever and are preventedby the enlarged ends of i the latter from coming off and getting lost.

The member .6'is provided at its ends with earsj4O and 42 having V -sha'ped notches 44 and 46 and around which a fence .wire may bewrapped', as willhereinafter appear. The

elements 38 are also provided with notches 48 for receiving the wireand coac'ting with the notches 44 and4'6 in preventing said wire m ipping oflt the'ears 40 and 42. V v Q The upper s urfacefof the member 6 is pro- -videdwith two oppositely-disposed studs 49 and 5 which are rit' eted over a pair of washe-i's 52 and 54, respectively, which cooperate w-ith theears'40 and 42- inholding the wire while being stretched from slipping off the device. The member 6 when extendingtransversely across the lever 2 may be freely slid to eithero-f the enlarged ends ofthe latter, but can b'e locked at any point when turned v at an oblique angle to carry the L-shaped elements same; the notches .4 along the longitud-i i'al margins of said lever.

Due to the bowed ends and the lowered center of the leve-r 2, said ends are in ELPPIQX-' imately the same horizontal plane as the .studs 49 1 and 50 while a wire is being stretched, and hence the latter will exertbalanced pull upon said lever and not'tend ,g fto swing the; rear: end thereof up or down.

In the construction of a wire fence, one end of the wireB-. is secured; to affence post while its opposite end is securedto the device. the, wire is of considerablelength so that a. largeamount of slack will have to be taken] up the member sis slid rearwardly upon the lever ,2 towards theeye 2O. Thewire is then drawn fairly taut by hand and passed around the stud 49 andtwisted around the car 40,,

while one or two of the. fulcrum points on one side of the lever 2 2,1'8 placed against the post- A asjshown by Fig. 5. The lever 2 7 ,is then pulled around from thefull line to the dottedline position, Fig. 5, or as far asis [necessary to take up the slack in tlie'wirfe. The body of the operator'may then be pressed I v aga.inst the lever 2to hold it in the dotted linepo'sition and thus leave both hands free to staple or otherwise secure the wire to the post A. While the 'lever'2 is held by the body 1 stated, said lever is prevented from; swing- .inggupwardl y orfd ofwnwardly. by the, balanci-ng member 16, the points of i which firmly engage thegpost Furthermore, 7 there is. little or no tendency of saidlever to tip upwardly .or downwardly as the pull is'approximately in ahorizontal' plane from the L stud to the forward end of the lever 2. a

lVhile the lever 2 is being pulled around from the full line-to the dotted line position the sary slack when the lever 2 is rotated about the axis of the stud 22. In Fig. 6 I have shown one of the croken-ends secured to the pair ofhooks 28 and 32 and theother broken jend secured to the hooks 30 and 34. The lever 2 is then rotated in the/direction of the arrow. a, Fig. 6, to cause' the two broken ends to cross each other as shown by Fig. 7 Asthe operator continues to i otate the lever the.

crossed ends of the wire slip'olfthe stud 22' due to the taper thereofand its two rounded corners 23. Further rotation of the lever 2 causes the crossed ends of the wire to become interlooped as indicated at Fig. 8. After the lever 2 has been rotated alittle more than a complete revolution the broken ends are removed from the studs 28, 32,30" and 34and wrapped by hand around the main portions of the twosections of the wire to complete the splice.

From the foregoing descr ption it is apparent that I have provided a' device whereby wires may be stretchedin the construction of fences, or broken wires may be readily spliced, and while I have shown the preferred embo'dimentof my invention I reserve all rights to such changesand modif cations as properly fallwithin the spiritand scope of the invention as claimed.

Having'thus described mymvaao what I claim and desire to secureby'Letters Pat- "ent, is:

"1. In a device of the-character described,

lever having notchesi-n twoof its oppositely disposed longitudinal margins, member slidably mounted upon said lever, and prov ded at ts ends w th ears, andL-shaped elements 'extending lfrom' said me'm'ber t o the. underside of the leverand adapted to enter of said notches when said slidable ineinberis turned obliquely to g the longitudinal axis of said lever;

, 2; Ina device of the'charaeter described, a

lever having notches-ii two of itsioppositely disposed longitudinal margins, a jmember 's'lidably mountedilpon said lever 'an d having means for entering'a-ny of saidnotches when said member is turned obliquely to said lever, wire-engageable studs projecting upwardly from said 'slidable member, andiw'ashers' secured to said studs. V r i In. testimony whereof I aflix g 

